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Chilton to run Friday practice in Abu Dhabi

Max Chilton will get the OK to drive for Marussia in Abu Dahbi. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

British GP2 racer Max Chilton will take a step closer to landing a Marussia race seat for the 2013 Formula One schedule when he takes part in FP1 for the team in Abu Dhabi.

Chilton drove for the team when it opted to run its young driver test at Silverstone earlier this year. He also tested for Force India in Abu Dhabi last year.

He will deputize for Charles Pic. The team says that the Frenchman won’t lose out by missing the session because he is already familiar with Abu Dhabi.

“As part of our ongoing assessment of the next generation of racing talent, we are interested to see how Max has progressed since we first put him in the car at our young driver test at Silverstone in the summer,” said team boss John Booth.

“Since that time, Max has impressed a great deal in the GP2 series, achieving two race wins in the latter part of the season, so at the same time as ensuring his preparedness for the reserve driver role. “We are looking forward to comparing his driving development with his growing maturity outside of the car.”

“This is the next step in the process of proving my potential, and another important notch for me personally in terms of my ultimate goals,” said Chilton. “As for next Friday, the 90 minutes of FP1 will fly by so quickly that it’s a real bonus to be testing the car at a circuit I know well. It means I can get up to speed straight away and focus on delivering some proper set-up and aero evaluation data for the team to help during the rest of the weekend.”